Five Times Gladion Was Edgy (and one time he wasn't)
by Sorores Animae
Summary: WARNING: I ship Gladion x Moon/Luna/Selene. (She is called Selene in this.) Proceed with caution. Five times our favorite edgelord showcased his edge, and that one time he didn't.
1. Chapter 1

**One.**

* * *

"My mother, Lusamine...she was not a kind person."

Selene started in surprise. Gladion was not usually the one to begin a conversation. When he did, it was important. She always listened attentively on those rare occasions.

"She taught us that beauty was pain. And that we should be grateful that she was making us beautiful. She said that beauty was the only thing that mattered in this world, that only the beautiful ones would ever be happy. She'd control everything, our food, our clothes, how we wore our hair, even how we spoke. To each other and to others. The only words we could say were beautiful ones. Anything negative was ugly. Once, I mentioned that I wanted to wear black instead of white and gold. That was the first time." He paused for a long moment before continuing.

"She always went for my left hand. She equated marriage with happiness. So when she wanted to punish me, she would damage my ideal future."

Gladion paused again. The look in his eyes was terrifying, full of the rage, fear, and hate of his childhood, but Selene felt only sorrow. She wasn't scared. Gently, she pried his left hand open from the tight, white-knuckled fist it had become, revealing the crimson crescents he'd dug into his own flesh. Curled up at his other side, Silvally whimpered sadly and nuzzled its master's shoulder. Gladion's expression lightened a bit, and, seemingly drawing strength from his two companions, he resumed his story.

"Lusamine never permanently hurt Lillie, thank Arceus. She thought that a girl with scars wasn't beautiful. But the things she could do that wouldn't leave lasting traces were still terrible." He drew in a shaky breath.

"Her favorite punishment was to lock us in empty rooms for days. Of course, she wouldn't let us get too thin. Being too bony wasn't beautiful either. But she didn't have to feed us. She'd just hook us up to tubes that pumped nutrients straight into our bloodstreams. It wasn't the lack of food that made the punishment so bad. It was the lack of everything. Those rooms were empty black boxes. No sound. No sight. No taste. Nothing."

Silvally laid its head on Gladion's lap, eyes mournful, tail drooping. He stroked the creature's fur with his free right hand. Selene felt the air getting colder as the last rays of the sun dissipated, but said nothing, not wanting to interrupt. This was probably the first telling of his full story.

"Lusamine was not kind. She was insane."

Selene felt his left hand begin to tremble again, and tried to soothe the phantom pain that never really left by rubbing small circles across it with the pad of her thumb. It seemed to help a little.

"She wanted beauty. She made us beautiful. She wanted Ultra Beasts. She got Ultra Beasts. That's the way Lusamine works. When she sees what she wants, she takes it. No regrets, no apologies. And that-"

He suddenly clenched his left hand tightly, trapping her wrist. She bit her lip to stifle the cry that bubbled to her lips. She hadn't expected that.

"-is why I still cannot forgive her, despite what Lillie says."

Gladion sat in silence for a long time, saying nothing more. It was a few minutes before he noticed how harshly he'd been gripping Selene's delicate wrist. He immediately let go. "Selene-"

A finger brushed his lips, the touch as light as butterfly wings. It was enough to quiet him, though.

"It's alright."

Somehow, he felt that those words were meant for more than that one moment.

* * *

 **Das Ende!**

 **-Jade**


	2. Chapter 2

**Two.**

* * *

 _"I worked very hard to cook this, so be sure to eat it all, okay?"_

 _Gladion and Lillie, both dressed in the gold and white outfits that Lusamine had picked out for them, kept their eyes fixed on the table, not daring to meet the gaze of the woman they called Mother. Lusamine seemed unruffled by this, though, and placed her children's plates down before them. On one was a small mound of greens, a bread roll, and meat with a savory sauce. On the other was a small amount of rice...and a smaller serving of steamed vegetables._

 _Lusamine did not believe in equal portions._

Gladion mulled over his thoughts while nibbling at the malasada that Hau had forced him to take. The stuffed, fried bread was quite delicious, not that Gladion would ever admit it. He was touched by Hau's ever-constant thoughtfulness and surplus of malasadas to share (not that he would ever admit that either). He was vaguely aware of Silvally stretched out beside him on its back, belly bulging slightly from the number of malasadas it had devoured. The Pokemon was purring contentedly, soothed by the warmth and merry crackle of the fire that it was resting beside.

 _The halls of the Aether Mansion were always cold at night. He knew firsthand, from all the nights he had slipped out of his room to bring Lillie the food that he'd steal whenever he got the chance. All was quiet tonight, but he couldn't help but feel uneasy. It felt like the air was thicker than normal._

 _Regardless, though, he crept on, silent. He hadn't had a chance to steal anything during the day, so he'd have to make a stop at the kitchen before going to Lillie's room._

 _Nothing was amiss in the kitchen, and Gladion relaxed a little. All he had to do was get to the fridge, he was sure that there would be some fruit in there that Lusamine wouldn't miss. Carefully, he opened the the door and stuck his head inside. It took him only a few moments to locate a big bunch of grapes, resting on a plastic wrapped plate. He broke off a few small clusters, arranging the rest of the fruit to cover the empty spaces left behind._

 _Gladion shut the fridge door as quietly as he could, and turned to leave, grapes in hand. Now, he only had to deliver them to Lillie, and sneak back to bed. Simple enough._

 _Alas, it was not to be._ _Peridot green eyes gleamed from the hazy shadows in the doorway._

 _"Mother."_

Gladion couldn't bring himself to finish his malasada. The sick memories going through his head were ruining his appetite. He offered what was left of it to Silvally, who happily gulped it down in one bite, then yawned and scooted closer to the fire. The Pokemon's sleepy state was infectious, and, despite his dark thoughts, Gladion felt his eyelids growing heavy. Giving up the fight, Gladion stretched out on the plush carpet, mimicking his Pokemon, and fell into slumber.

But happy dreams did not find him.

 _"Disgusting!"_

 _Pain._

 _"Worthless!"_

 _Pain._

 _"Ungrateful!"_

 _Pain._

 _"UGLY!"_

 _P a i n..._

Gladion woke again, a guttural sound, like a cross between a groan and a scream, tearing out of his throat. Silvally was awake immediately, despite the deep sleep it had just been in. It nosed the side of his face, whimpering. Gladion reached up to stroke its head, but ended up with his fingers tangled in the Pokemon's white fur and his face buried in its shoulder, chest heaving with the weight of demons that were far too heavy a burden for his scarred back.

Silvally leaned its head against his, hugging him as best as it could, but it wasn't enough. There wasn't another human soul within a twelve mile radius, though, so they would have to make do with what they had, as always.

It took a long time for it to happen, but Gladion eventually drifted off again.

He dreamed of a world with no more pain.

* * *

 **Gladion, why are you so edgy**

 ***gross sobbing***

 **Anyway, see you all next time!**

 **Coming soon: the third time Gladion was Sadion (I'm sorry)**


End file.
